The applicant has long been aware, during his experience as a paramedic and as an ambulance crew member, that there has been a need for equipment which would make it possible to provide better treatment for infants who are in cardiopulmonary distress or have experienced trauma. More specifically, there has been a need for a device which can firmly support an infant up to two years old, can hold the patient in a very stable condition, can allow the patient's head to be pivoted backward for certain kinds of treatment, is a convenient shape for easy handling, and can be used together with existing types of equipment. Several infant restraining boards are already available, but none of them have all the capabilities mentioned above as being necessary for such cardiopulmonary treatment of infant patients.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,523 to DARBY, JR., discloses an infant restraining board which appears to provide secure restraint for an infant. It uses restraining boards to hold the infant's torso, legs, and arms and has an adjustable head restraint. However, this device does not provide for tilting the patient's head backward. Moreover, it is an inconvenient shape, with arm supports sticking out at 90 degrees to the patient's body, and protruding leg supports, each of which sticks out from the patient's body at an acute angle of about 20 degrees with the patient's body. These appurtenances would make it quite difficult for medical personnel to carry a baby in the device while walking and simultaneously perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,287 to ARP discloses an infant supporting apparatus having different structure than the present invention and designed for a different purpose, namely, to support an infant during therapeusis, such as respiratory augmentation. This device is a perfectly flat panel which uses a number of upstanding barriers to support and confine the body and head of an infant. One embodiment of the invention has a head cup which holds the head of an infant up in an elevated position. However, the structure of this invention does not provide for and does not contemplate the possibility of lowering the head of an infant or tilting the infant's head backward in order to treat the infant when cardiopulmonary problems are indicated. Moreover, this device is not portable, but instead is intended for stationary use in a hospital or other medical treatment facility.
Still another infant restraining device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,268 (U.S. Pat. No. Re. 24,377) to CREELMAN. This device is a flat surgical operating table having a full body cavity in the top surface of the table for holding and supporting an infant in the dorsal recumbent position. Four large pivoting metal arms, with a clamp mounted on the end of each arm, hold the infant on the table. This device appears useful for minor surgical operations not requiring anesthesia, such as circumcisions, but its design does not make it appear to be useful for emergency life support treatment, such as cardiopulmonary distress or trauma. Although this device is described in the patent as being portable, several appurtenances in the form of the four restraint arms and clamps described above would make it difficult to carry easily. It would be particularly difficult for a paramedic to carry the device on his hip and continue cardiopulmonary resuscitation to an infant while walking.
Other infant restraint devices, both of which are quite different from the present device, are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,892,399 to CABANSAG and 4,515,155 to WAGEMANN. The device shown in the former patent is an infant seat for immobilizing infants during the taking of X-rays. The latter patent shows a restraint vest for holding a very small infant and keeping the child warm while various medical procedures are performed on the child.
Several devices designed primarily for spinal restraint of accident victims are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,024,861 to VINCENT, 4,034,748 to WINNER, and 4,519,106 to SANDQUIST. These patents all show devices for supporting only the head and upper torso of adult victims. The patent to VINCENT shows a spine support device in the form of an inflatable bag somewhat similar to an air mattress. The device contains several longitudinal reinforcing ribs. The two latter patents to WINNER and SANDQUIST show substantially flat boards with restraining straps. The patent to WINNER also shows a device having a head restraint with inflatable upstanding sides positioned on either side of a pad which serves as a pillow. However, these devices are not designed for use in cardiopulmonary treatment and do not have the features mentioned above which make it possible to treat that condition.
In view of the foregoing discussion, it will be apparent that the prior art devices do not provide the advantages found in the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an infant restraining device which is designed particularly for the proper treatment of cardiopulmonary distress and trauma.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an infant restraining device which is lightweight, portable, and of a convenient shape for easy handling.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an infant restraining device which does not have fixed projections or appurtenances attached to it.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an infant restraining device which is easy for a paramedic to carry under his arm with the side of the device resting on his hip, while he continues cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while walking.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an infant restraining device which is designed to hold an infant firmly and securely in position on the device while the patient's head may be tilted backward or flexed in order to provide intubation to the patient.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an infant restraining device which is designed for quick and easy installation of a commercially available Bashaw Cervical Immobilizer for use on a trauma case to stabilize the infant's head or alternatively, to quickly and easily install custom-made head stabilizing equipment.